


To Be a Daughter

by Koalagriton



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M, Hamato Karai
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-18
Updated: 2015-11-20
Packaged: 2018-05-02 07:21:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5239601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Koalagriton/pseuds/Koalagriton
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After being rescued from the Shredder's dungeon Karai tries to find a place in the Hamato Clan. A whole lifetime of being brought up by an abusive, murderous father is difficult to forget and Karai finds herself not quite fitting in or understood. A not quite "happy family" Hamato Karai fic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Karai woke up with a start, eyes opening into the darkness of the room wondering why her alarm clock hadn't gone off. Her internal clock told her it was way past the time she should have been in the dojo warming up and ready for her father to examine the students before seating himself to watch their training.

 

Wait no, that's not right. She was locked up in the dungeon, there was no need to rise up early for training any more. She turned over onto her stomach in the soft and slightly musty-smelling futon getting ready to sleep through another day of her imprisonment.

 

 _Get up._ Her mind told her alarmed. _This isn't right, get up!_ She bolted upright and out of her bed looking around wildly. Panic settled into her causing her heartbeat to pound in her ears as she failed to recognize her surroundings. Noticing the sliding screen door behind her where the light seemed to be permeating through the paper-thin material, she bolted in that direction and pulled it quickly to the side with more force than she had intended, expecting it to be locked. She nearly yanked it out of its tracks and stumbled forward, catching herself before falling and coming to a complete stop as she noticed the two figures at the end of the room look up to her quickly.

 

She immediately straightened, schooling her expression back into the neutral, slightly bored look she always wore as her memories caught up with her.

 

“Is everything all right, Karai?” Leonardo asked, standing quickly with a worried glance darting between her and the darkened room behind her.

 

She exhaled slowly through her nose, trying to sound calm and collected as she lied. “Yes, I just thought... I heard something. That's all.” She looked to the rat– her... father, as he rose slowly.

 

“I am sorry if we woke you. It was not our intention to startle you.” He spoke in his deep voice.

 

She stilled when she noticed him glance down to her foot that had unintentionally started shifting into a defensive stance. It had only been a tiny fraction of movement, not even half a step completed before she caught herself and yet he'd seen it, just as her fath– The Shredder would have noticed her lapse and she cursed herself internally for showing such weakness.

 

Not knowing what else to say and wanting to escape their scrutiny and whatever other questions they had she turned and walked back into her room without another word, pulling the door shut behind her before looking for a light switch. In the dark she failed to find it brushing her hands over the walls but decided to do without. She slipped her armour on in the dark, clasping it in place over her bodysuit and folded her futon in a corner. She knelt with her back against the far wall and facing the door while she waited to hear them leave before stepping out into the dojo again.

 

She wasn't sure what was expected of her now. It felt odd to just walk around this strange place as if it were her own even though that was what she'd been told to treat it as.

 

“Tu casa es mi casa.” The little one, Michelangelo, said last night after the short training session she sat in on and her conversation with Splinter. “It means my home is your home in Spanish.”

 

“That's... not entirely accurate.” The scrawny one had clarified but at Mikey's glare he lowered his raised finger and added quickly, “but I'm sure you get the idea.”

 

She wandered to the door of the dojo and looked outside noticing the living room was empty, the television was dark and there was none of the noise the brothers had been making last night except for the occasional ringing from a couple of the arcade games that sounded every few minutes. Half way across the room towards the pit she noticed the light casting shadows from the kitchen and she didn't need to glance under the noren, the blue fabric divider on the doorway, to know that Leonardo and Splinter were inside, probably having breakfast.

 

She heard the slide of a stool and steps toward her and realised she had stopped in front of the doorway. She turned quickly and darted off into what she knew was the bathroom to avoid being confronted again before she was ready to face whatever they wanted. She still felt as if she hadn't regained her footing after her stumble earlier, as if she were still off balance and she needed a moment to find her centre and pull herself together.

 

She used the facilities and splashed water on her face before looking at herself in the mirror, giving herself her morning pep-talk she was used to. _Remember who you are, you can do this._ She recited the usual words in her head but suddenly faltered. She wasn't really sure who she was anymore, to be honest. She had no idea who this Miwa person was supposed to be.

 

 _What do they want from me?_ She wondered and let her head hang down towards the sink as she leaned forward, her hands planted on the counter on either side of it as she held herself there for a moment, chin to her chest.

 

 _It doesn't matter._ She decided after a while of breathing slowly, gathering her strength. They were the ones who brought her here, she didn't seek them out for anything. She didn't have to prove herself or change who she was for them. She didn't owe them anything.

 

She raised her head to look fiercely into the mirror back at her reflection. She would have looked even more intimidating with her make-up but nothing could be done about that for now. Raising her head high she turned off the water. She wouldn't avoid them like a scared little girl. She'd been brought up by The Shredder, she feared nothing. There was nothing they could throw at her that she hadn't already survived through.

 

Nodding at her image she opened the door and headed towards the kitchen.

 

Breakfast was a rather awkward activity. She wasn't used to it being a communal gathering, she'd usually have tea and something light brought to her quarters before training. Sometimes she'd visit the dining hall where the recruits would eat but it was more to size them up and evaluate them as her father's second in command (until the arrival of Tigerclaw) than to share a meal.

 

On the, (not rare enough) occasions where she would eat with The Shredder it was in a very formal and incredibly tense setting. Words were measured, reactions calculated, any information given during conversation or questioning was carefully delivered. She had trained herself to pick up on the nuances of the timbre of her father's voice to modulate her own or know what tells to look for to back off and be silent for if it reached the point where he would actually raise his voice it was already too late. It was more of a psychological battle, about surviving the encounter unscathed than actually ingesting sustenance and she found her hunger disappearing at the mere thought of a shared meal. Rarely did she ever do more than push her food around or take a small bite or two when she ate with her fath– Shredder.

 

She was acutely aware of Splinter sitting beside her, of every time he lifted his arms to sip at his tea, every sigh, smile and hum even though she didn't turn to him after her initial 'good morning'. Leonardo seemed to be tripping over his feet to make her feel comfortable and even though he wasn't getting the results in the manner he had planned, Splinter, her father, had seemed amused by it thus making her slightly more relaxed around them. She didn't tense up again until he ordered his son to sit down and drink his tea before it got cold, order which Leonardo followed immediately with an embarrassed smile.

 

Michelangelo came trudging into the kitchen shortly after, rubbing at his eyes with his mask loose around his neck, followed by the zombie that was Donatello before his coffee.

 

Mikey stopped suddenly when he set eyes on Karai and Donatello consequently bumped into him, pushing the smaller turtle forward as he complained in a series of unintelligible mutterings before coordinating his limbs to squeeze past him to reach his coffee machine.

 

“You look so weird without your face paint!” Mikey blurted out smiling and pointing at his own eyes.

 

Leonardo looked horrified and opened his mouth to apologize for him or tell him off but Karai beat him to it. “You look funny without your mask.” She said back in a similar, yet feigned, enthusiastic tone before sipping her own tea again as if nothing had happened.

 

“Look who's talking about being weird lookin'.” Raphael muttered as he plodded in, grabbed Mikey by his carapace and practically lifted him and placed him to the side to let him by. The smaller turtle seemed unfazed by the action, laughing it off, and continued on his way to the fridge to rummage around in it. Raph then proceeded to slump into a stool, fold his arms on the table and bury his head in them to doze as he waited for his younger brother to get breakfast ready.

 

Karai raised an eyebrow at the obviously rude behaviour and turned sharply towards Splinter when she felt him rise. She wasn't sure what she expected to happen, at least a reprimand for the boy's thoughtlessness around his Master, she was certain. Alarm grew within her as instead of a verbal scolding, the rat stretched a hand towards the unsuspecting turtle. She gripped the teacup tightly hoping she would not have to intervene yet ready to do so if necessary, but instead of whatever punishment she had conjured up in her mind, the rat merely rubbed the back of the Raphael's neck affectionately, causing him to grunt in response, before excusing himself, reminding them all not to be late for practice.

 

She waited until she was certain he was gone before she turned back to face straight ahead and brought the fragrant cup to her nose, using it as an excuse to inhale deep and slowly, consciously focussing on relaxing her neck, shoulders, arms and hands in order, mentally going over each group of muscles.

 

Once her cup was drained of tea she placed it back on the small matching dish, mindful of the tremor she still felt in her body due to the adrenaline. She thought she had managed to keep her actions casual and emotions in check but when she glanced up she noticed Leonardo giving her a strange look.

 

His attention was drawn elsewhere as Donatello sat down heavily in the seat Splinter had just vacated with a steaming cup of black coffee. “Good morning.” He said with a sigh and regarded Karai for the first time that morning. “Maybe we could ask April to bring you some make-up, clothes and toiletries this afternoon. Let me know what you need and I'll send her the list so she can round up some things after class.”

 

Donatello's tone was polite and she nodded in thanks. “That conversation ended ages ago, Donnie.” Raph's muffled voice sounded from the tangle of his muscled arms on the table. “Does your brain even work before you drink that stuff?”

 

Donnie was about to answer when Mikey interrupted placing a huge plate on the table. “Tadaa!” He exclaimed with a huge, proud grin bisecting his face. “Pancakes! Now you can't say I don't spoil you!”

 

“Why are they green?” Karai asked, leaning back slightly as the unexpected odour steaming up from them reached her nose.

 

“They're made of algae, of course!” Mikey answered her.

 

“Of course.” She answered as she examined the serving he placed in front of her even though she was gesturing no with her palm up and shaking her head.

 

“Don't dis it before you try it!” He pushed her plate slightly towards her and looked at her with pleading, expectant eyes.

 

She sighed in defeat and reached for the chopsticks Leonardo was handing to her. Whooping out his victory he placed another plate in front of Donnie who began serving himself, handed a third plate to Leonardo who thanked him and placed the last plate on the back Raph's head who grunted back. He palmed the plate blindly without moving and pulled the dish off of him, finally sitting up and pulling green pancakes onto it with his hands.

 

She watched him chew with his eyes closed, head being held up by a fist against his temple, his elbow firmly planted on the table. She didn't realise how long she had just been staring, couldn't have been more than 10 or 15 seconds, her chopsticks midway to her mouth with a small torn off bit of pancake when Leonardo cleared his throat.

 

“Sorry, he's not much of a morning person.” He apologised for his brother who opened an eye to glare back at him for speaking.

 

“You don't say.” She mused before tasting the bit of cake. It wasn't bad. It didn't really taste of much, a vague taste of watery vegetable and... saltpetre, like the smell of your skin after a swim in the ocean. The term “pancake” was apparently being used very loosely. She took another few bites to be polite as she watched the others devour their share of food. Only Leonardo and Donatello showed some restraint. She was certain Leonardo was trying to be extra careful on her behalf, stealing glances at her every couple minutes and Donatello was just too distracted with whatever he was reading on his phone.

 

“Y' g'nna eat tha'?” Raphael asked with a full mouth of algae pancake. She shook her head and he promptly plucked her half eaten pancake off her plate and crammed it into his mouth.

 

Leonardo made a disgusted face but Karai only grinned, amused at how he impersonated the expression 'I don't give a fuck' and then 'fight me' as he glared back at his blue-banded brother.

 

“Something on my face, Princess?” Raphael remarked as he finished chewing his food his eyes darting to the side to her with the same intense look he was giving Leonardo.

 

Leonardo's face changed from disgusted to offended before Karai responded, “Just thinking I'm not going to go easy on you just because you might throw up when I take you down, Tubby.”

 

Raphael's eyes darkened and he opened his mouth to make another remark but Donatello cleared his throat before the trash talk could escalate. “This is all very fascinating, but we are going to be late for practice if we don't go,” he quickly cleared the table and placed the dishes in the sink, “now, guys.”

 

Raphael seemed suddenly energised as he flashed Karai a feral grin that seemed anything but friendly and walked quickly to the dojo to start warming up, Mikey bouncing happily behind him doing something that could be considered a jumping-jack. Karai took her position on the rugs and began stretching with a feline grace that had Leonardo's face turning an unattractive shade of purple.

 

“Great, just great...” Donatello muttered sarcastically under his breath.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

“Ha! I'd like to see you try, girlie.” Raph's feral grin was not friendly at all as he circled his sparring partner like a predator.

 

“Of course you would. I know how pain turns you on. You might want to get that looked at.” She answered without an ounce of hesitation or remorse.

 

She caught the instant Raph's eyes darted uncertainly to his father standing to the side chiding Donnie for how easily he'd yielded in his own sparring match. Taking advantage of the momentary slip in attention she launched herself at him knowing that in unarmed combat he obviously had the upper hand. The turtles were practically wearing full body armour and Raphael in particular was built like a tank. Even the bits of him that aren't covered in the tough bony shell are massive and very difficult to injure.

 

He corrected his posture as he noticed her coming at him and planned accordingly. Expecting a strike at his head he didn't cover his abdomen, thinking she wouldn't be interested in attacking that area. With bare fists and feet she was unlikely she would do any damage and she counted on him thinking that way to fall for her feint when she pretended to target his head with a punch and instead kneed him in the stomach putting all her weight behind the strike.

 

She surprised him, if the way his eyes widened were any indication, and she couldn't help the wicked grin settling over her face as he covered his mouth with one hand to avoid puking up his breakfast. He tried to grab her with his free hand but it was a clumsy attempt and she quickly rolled out of his reach.

 

“I told you eating all those pancakes wasn't a very good idea, Tubby.” She mocked him as he regained his composure, searching his face for tell-tale signs of his rage. His gaze darkened and she grinned wider still. _Gotcha_. She thought to herself but she might as well have said it out loud with the way she was preening.

 

“Uh, oh.” She heard Mikey whisper from behind. Their fight managed to draw the attention of some of the others and that made her decide to give this fight her all if she wanted to earn their respect. She wouldn't be taken as a sidekick, a back-up ninja the way they used O'Niel or Jones only when they had no other choice. She'd been Shredder's second in command for a reason and she was going to demonstrate why. No holding back, she would use every dirty kunoichi trick she knew if she had to. She needed to show she was good enough to take their bruiser down one on one.

 

He threw a few blows that she either deflected or dodged with ease. He might have strength but speed and agility were on her side. Testing how far he was willing to go for this victory and planning her own strategy accordingly she became a little too cocky as she watched his frustration rise with every missed hit. Misjudging his speed for just a second made her unable to completely dodge a punch which glanced off her chest-plate. Even this indirect blow knocked the wind out of her and made her have to handspring back to a safe distance to regain her footing.

 

She couldn't win in a clean fight, Raphael was their hard-hitter and possibly their best fighter when he was focussed. There was no way she could defeat him like this without weapons, her kicks and punches did little to him. His focus was his weak point though, and if she was going to get any openings in his defence she would need to break it. She needed to find all his buttons and push them all at once.

 

“Don't be mad, I bet you liked it you kinky boy.” She threw his way with a hand on her hip.

 

She didn't need to turn around to know Splinter was looking at them with disapproval, she could read it in the way the dojo went silent and the turtles in her view all glanced in the direction of their Master.

 

“Come here, Raphael.” She purred as she crooked a finger in his direction, “there's more where that came from.”

 

That did it. His face turned purple and he roared in fury as he charged her but he was a freight train she couldn't realistically get close to to pull off any kind of meaningful attack. The moment she would get in range she'd likely get pummelled. He'd probably not even bother to block her attacks and just ignore it in favour of causing her as much damage as possible.

 

Her tactic seemed to have backfired as his movements were apparently fuelled by his rage. Instead of making them sloppy as she had hoped, it made them much more powerful. It reminded her of the way her fath- Shredder fought: in fast bursts of destruction. One mistake meant your doom, all it took was a single attack, a misstep that placed you in the path of one strike that would take you down probably with more than one broken bone in the process.

 

The air displaced by his fist flying by her cheek rang loudly in her ear, pulling her head back slightly even though he hadn't actually touched her. He would have shattered her jaw if it'd connected. During her imprisonment he'd become more adept at using his rage as a weapon. Her eyes widened a fraction as she realised how much trouble she had gotten herself into.

 

The only way out was to keep pushing and hope his control was still limited. She needed to unbalance him further. The deep purple blush still hadn't left his face from her last verbal attack. He was probably used to the trash talk and insults thrown around in combat by now but not so much the innuendo and sexual comments she'd used on him.

 

After dodging his next perfectly executed flying kick she risked staying in close in a crouch to the side letting her palm slide under the length of his outstretched thigh in a mocking lover's caress, her fingers curling into the gap under the lip of his carapace where a man's buttocks should be before drawing back. His confused gasp and soft, startled yelp was music to her ears. She was too close to bail out at this point, stayed too long to complete her strategy. If she didn't find an opening, the fight would be over in the next attack in his favour and she would be sporting a new set of bruises on her body and ego.

 

He nearly failed the landing and the extra stumbled step he had to make to not fall face first was all she needed. She swept her leg out to kick his foot out from under him and let his own momentum do the rest, watching him with a smirk as he crashed face first into the wall.

 

She walked away from him with her back turned. The exercise was only meant to be until one of the two was brought down to the mats but she knew Raphael was far from over, once reached this point his temper wouldn't allow anything else but retaliation. If she were in his place right now... she'd be reaching for her tanto to teach her rival a lesson in humility.

 

“Had enough yet? Or do you need me to spank you some more?” She laughed over her shoulder hearing the tell-tale 'shhhhink' of him unsheathing his weapons before charging again.

 

“Yame!”

 

She ignored the order in the background, her universe and attention reduced to the pounding footsteps and the twitch of muscles of her adversary, the world slowed down as the adrenaline spiked her system. She turned, unsheathing her tanto in a smooth arch, gaining the reach she needed to beat him to the attack. Predictably, his sai caught her tanto in their prongs, he probably meant to twist it out of her hand but she'd already calculated for this possibility. Her tanto was merely a distraction and he hadn't realised yet that she was wielding it one-handed. Hidden by her body and the way it twisted as she turned to face her adversary fully she pulled out a hidden dagger between the fingers of her left hand.

 

She swept the small blade forward in a lightning fast serpent strike to the side of his neck but drew it back before completing the movement once she realised he hadn't noticed the turn of events to avoid inflicting a lethal wound on his carotid artery. He didn't even pull his head back until she was already retreating. She watched in fascination as a hair-thin red line appeared along his jaw where her dagger had caressed his skin, blood beading along it and then dripping down to his neck. Her eyes darted to his, pools of malachite still clouded in dark rage, pupils sharpened to pin points, face contorted in a snarl showing his oddly sharp canines. He probably hadn't even noticed the injury, he was too far gone.

 

It felt as if they were moving in slow motion as they each raised their weapons for another attack but as they ran to engage in combat again, Splinter stepped between them and yanked them apart, using pressure points in the back of their neck to deaden their limbs. They both dropped their weapons with a clatter on the floor as their fingers slackened.

 

“YAME!” His voice boomed in the dojo around them.

 

If Karai had any use of her body she would have probably cowered at the order that still seemed to echo around them. As things were now, with the beat of her rapid pulse still pounding in her ears and neck all she could do was look up at him in confusion. He released her, gently guiding her fall with his hand as she sank to the ground in a heap like a puppet with its strings cut. Her limbs felt numb and useless, tingling as feeling seeped back into them slowly.

 

Splinter turned from her and lowered Raphael slightly, leaning his body back and turning his head to the side to examine his injury.

 

“S'juss a scratch.” She slurred as she tried to regain mastery of her own body, her arms flopping as she tried to push herself up into a sitting position. She drew on her own inner strength, her rebellious refusal to submit to anyone, to try speed the process along and managed to sit up, propping her torso with her unfeeling arms behind her. She winced at the discomfort and it was only out of sheer stubbornness that she was keeping herself upright.

 

“I would never hurt him seriously, _Father_.” She said quickly, her tone accusatory and the way _he_ flinched at her words told her all she needed to know.

 

 _He doesn't trust me._ _He thought I would kill his son_. The realisation hit her hard even though it shouldn't have been a shock at all. It hadn't been too long ago when she had wanted to bring their heads to the Shredder, when she had hated the rat and his sons with every ounce of her being for slaying her mother and betraying her friendship.

 

She struggled to stand and pushed Leonardo's fussing hands away when he reached out to help. Even with the feeling of needles stabbing through her legs she kept her expression schooled and movements fluid as she marched to the door of the dojo.

 

“The lesson is not over.” Splinter said firmly but she only paused for a moment before stepping out of the room.

 

By the time she reached the centre of the living room she had full control of her body again. She turned her head towards the turnstiles leading out of the lair. No one was stopping her from just walking out. She didn't really need them, they were only family in name, there was no real attachment.

 

It would be easy to just walk away from everything, she could probably do her own thing somewhere. She wasn't a moron, she had skills she could use to survive and carve a life out for herself without the burden of a surname. After a contemplative moment she sighed and turned away from the entrance.

 

Splinter was addressing his sons, keeping Raphael in a sitting position with an arm around his shell and cradling his head as he spoke in low tones. “I'm glad you still wish to join us.” The ninja master said without turning the moment she stepped through the threshold. The others, except Raph, looked up at her.

 

She didn't answer and instead walked over to kneel beside Raphael, placing the tin beside her and prying the lid off to retrieve the rubbing alcohol and some cotton. She didn't acknowledge her father's surprised look as she began wiping Raph's cut, cleaning the blood carefully off his skin around it. She rummaged in the box and pulled out a long band-aid that would cover the length of it and stretched it out along his jaw, patting it softly.

 

Raph's arm twitched and he jerked his head away showing he was regaining the use of his body. She took it as a sign to back off and she did, replacing the lid and pushing the box to the wall before kneeling at the far side of the row of turtles who were waiting.

 

“What are you grinning at?” She said under her breath to Leonardo who knelt beside her. “You look like a dork, cut it out.”

 

Instead of changing his expression he only smiled wider at her and pat her on the shoulder. Removing his hand as she turned an annoyed glance his way, he lifted them in a placating gesture but the smile was still plastered on his face. _Let him think she had left the room to get aid for his brother and not to escape_. She thought as she straightened and faced forward watching Raph out of the corner of her eye.

 

Raphael stood and staggered over to kneel on the opposite end of the row, scowling in her direction before sinking into position, hiding from view behind Donnie's tall profile. She rolled her eyes and waited, biting her tongue to avoid calling him out on his poor attitude and reminding him how she had trounced him moments earlier.

 

Thinking the issue was over, she was surprised when at the end of the lesson Splinter asked them both to stay behind. Raphael tensed in front of her and then deflated, sinking into the seiza kneeling position. Splinter then gestured for her to take her place beside him as he began speaking.

 

“I am very disappointed in you both.” He started, pacing in front of them. “Raphael, once more you let your anger control you and cloud your judgement. My son, you would be the best fighter among your brothers if only you could learn not to react to provocations. In battle this could result in lethal mistakes such as the one you just demonstrated today.” His voice was stern and loud and slowly it was putting Karai's teeth on edge. In the Shredder's voice, this volume was sure to be followed by some sort of harsh punishment. He finished every point he made with a loud tap of his walking stick on the floor and Raphael seemed to curl into himself a little more every time.

 

She wondered briefly if she was going to witness a caning and how that would work with their shells and tough bodies. They didn't have many scars but she had always figured they healed rapidly due to their mutant nature. She had inflicted wounds on them that would have left a human out of commission for weeks and then seen them running around as if nothing days later. She wondered if he would keep in mind that she was only human when it was her turn.

 

He stood in front of Raphael in silence and the turtle's head hung low in shame as he peered up at his father every few seconds with miserable green eyes. He resumed his pacing after a moment passing Karai before stopping and then turning towards her. “As for you...” he began as he lifted a furred paw in her direction.

 

In hindsight, she should have probably realised he only meant to put a hand on her shoulder or some similar gesture to what she'd seen him to do Raphael earlier that morning. However, as the tension in her muscles had been increasing with his agitated pacing and his stern authoritative voice she couldn't help her reaction. She was caught off guard and her instincts kicked in making her flinch, so hard that she bumped into Raphael at her side as she ducked her father's hand nearly knocking him over.

 

She immediately realised her mistake, she shouldn't have flinched like that even if his intention was to strike her. It showed weakness, The Shredder would have struck her twice as hard for it. Splinter drew his hand back and she quickly corrected her posture, placing her hands on the floor in front of her knees with her fingers touching, she leaned over and bowed low, head to the floor. “I-I'm sorry, Father.” She held her position as he regarded her in silence.

 

“Raphael, leave us.” Splinter commanded but Raph hesitated at his father's command.

 

Karai could feel his eyes on her and the way he shifted nervously, uncertain of what to do. _Get out, idiot._ She thought to herself. _You just got a free pass out of this mess, don't waste it and don't anger him further_. Even with those thoughts she couldn't help the sting of betrayal when she finally heard him stand and walk out, the quiet slide of the door letting her know she was left alone with her punishment.

 

Splinter knelt in front of her and sighed. “Rise, my child.” He told her softly.

 

She straightened out of the dogeza posture stiffly, keeping her eyes trained on the ground in deference even though anger both at herself for her reaction and at him for the perceived injustice of singling her out when she had done nothing wrong, boiled within her.

 

“It was not my intention to startle you.” He began. “I do not know what kind of treatment or... punishments Oroku Saki has inflicted upon you in the past, I do not pretend to know his heart, would probably not recognize it as black and twisted as it has become. You should know that I am not he. You need not fear me, Miwa.”

 

The name twisted inside her uncomfortably. It felt wrong, like an ill-fitting shoe. She knew it was hers, to some extent. It had belonged to her as a baby but she had always been Karai for as long as she was conscious of herself. The name Miwa meant nothing, it was the name of a baby who died in a fire long ago. She had no intention of correcting him, though. “I understand, Father.” She replied because it was what she knew he wanted to hear.

 

“I know it will probably take time. Trust is something that has to be earned, after all.” She nodded at his words. “As for your fight with Raphael.”

 

“I did nothing wrong.” She defended herself, lifting her fierce gaze to his in defiance.

 

“Your methods were...”

 

“Those of a kunoichi.” She countered. “He should be ready for worse out in the field. You have trained him well but that temper of his can be so easily manipulated. I always...” She faltered and corrected what she was about to say before continuing. “Back when I was an enemy I would always target it successfully. It is a weakness he needs to correct or it will be his downfall. If this fight would have happened months ago he wouldn't have survived.”

 

He nodded and kept silent for a moment. “It is something he struggles with, but he is aware of it and I do not wish for you to torment him in this way. These methods might have been fine for training with the foot, I am aware that your training was probably much more severe than ours but it is not our way. We are family first and foremost. I will help Raphael with his anger, it is not your place to do so.”

 

“Yes, Father.” She immediately responded, recognizing how his quiet voice had become more stern with every sentence.

 

He dismissed her but stopped her before she reached the door. “Miwa, you don't need to answer but, what kind of punishments did Oroku Saki use?”

 

“The usual.” She lied easily. “Nothing out of the ordinary, I assure you. He was just much stricter in his application and in deciding what required punishment.” She'd be damned if she gave him anything to pity her or, worst of all, give her new father ideas. The dealings between her former father and herself would continue to be private. There was no sense in talking about it other than to rehash and reopen old fears and humiliations.

 

She walked out where the others were discussing lunch even though he didn't look convinced but that was not her problem. He was right about one thing, trust had to be earned and she wasn't ready to hand hers out so readily no matter who her mother took a photo with or married 17 years ago.

 

“What happened?” Raph whispered to her while the others argued loudly about the benefits of pizza omelet over omelet pizza. “What did he say?”

 

“He said I shouldn't exploit your anger you or it'll make beating you too easy.” She grinned slyly at him, unable to resist how easy it was to rile him up.

 

“He- He didn't say that!” Raphael sputtered getting up from his seat and leaning over to glare at Karai, “And I would have beaten you in a clean fight!”

 

“Of course you would.” Karai said more seriously cutting off Raphael's rant and making him look back at her confused, as if he hadn't heard her right. “You're a good fighter, Raph, probably the best I've seen bar the two ninja masters we know and possibly a certain tiger.”

 

Raphael faltered and sat down slowly. He looked back at her uncertainly like he was waiting for her to twist the words around and turn them into an insult. When nothing more happened he relaxed again and let a smug grin show on his face, puffing out his chest as he crossed his arms, flexing his biceps. It would have been more impressive if not for the pink kittens on the plaster adorning his face, “Yeah I am. Best fighter we got. Even Captain Dorkface over there's got nothing on me.”

 

“Seriously? Me? How did I get dragged into this now?” Leonardo spoke over his shoulder at them, clearly paying attention to both conversations even though it didn't seem like it.

 

“So manly.” She fake swooned before pressing a finger against the band-aid making him jump with a hiss. He scowled back at her but the way his grin reappeared immediately on his face made the gesture meaningless.

 

“In this case, Mikey, the order of the elements doesn't alter the result so what does it matter? Just pick one at random and get on with it!” Donatello looked clearly fed up with the pointless discussion, his voice taking on a high pitched, annoyed screeching sound at the end of his sentence.

 

“I can't just do it randomly, Dee!” Mikey tried to explain the reasoning that probably didn't make sense even in his own head in this dimension. “That's not how the cooking magic works!”

 

“Mikey's right, and pizza omelet sounds better, you should go with that.” Karai spoke up, humouring the little turtle. She didn't really care either way but she enjoyed siding with the one that most aggravated everyone else.

 

“See?” Mikey gestured to her with both hands as if that clarified everything. “Sis has taste, not like you neanthertals.”

 

“It's neanderth- you know what? Forget it. I'm done here, I'll be in the lab.”

 

A brief smile passed between her and Mikey and she decided it was a good call to not walk out on them earlier.

 


End file.
